Automatic weigher.



N0. 650,593. Patented May 29, |900. A J. B. SCHUMAN.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHER.

(Application filed Junn 16, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 650,593. Patented May 29, |900.

J. B. SCHUMAN.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHEH.

(Application filed June 16, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2l (No Model.)

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NITED STATES PATENT Ormes.

JAMES B. SCHUMAN, OF COLUMBIA CITY, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PNEUMATIC ELEVATOR AND WEIGHER COMPANY, OF INDIANAPO- LIS, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC WEIGHER SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 650,593, dated May 29, 1900.

Application filed June 16, 1899. Serial No. 720,836. (No model.)

To all 'who-m, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES B. SCHUMAN', a citizen of the United States, residing at Columbia City, in the county of Whitley, and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic NVeighers, of which the followingis a speciiication.

The object of my present invention is to provide an automatic weigher of improved construction suitable to be used in weighing grain or such like material as it cornes from threshing-machines or other sources of supply. It is particularly designed to be used in connection with such pneumatic elevators as are shown, for example, in Letters Patent No. 608,925, dated May 10, 1898, and No. 623,109, dated April 1l, 1899, which were issued upon my application.

My present invention may be considered an improvement upon that shown and described in Letters Patent No. 609,908, dated August 30, 1898; and it consists in certain improved details of construction and arrangements of parts whereby a more efficient and accuratelyworking apparatus is secured, as will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying draw-ings, which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figure 1 is a perspective View of an automatic weigher embodying my present invention and the immediately-adjacent parts with which it is connected when used with a machine such as is shown, for example, in Letters Patent No. 623,109, above referred to; Fig. 2, a top or plan view of such a Weigher as seen from the dotted line 2 2 in Fig. 5; Fig. 3, a central vertical sectional view as seen from the dotted line 3 3 in Figs. 2 and 4; Fig. 4, a central vertical sectional view as seen from the dotted line 44 in Figs. 3 and 5; Fig. 5, a side elevation showing the scale mechanism, the view being from the dotted line 5 5 alongside Fig. 4; Fig. 6, an inside elevation of such scale mechanism as seen from lower ends of which are large and flat andy serve as friction-plates for the purpose which will be presently explained. A rectangular frame 1, having corresponding friction-plate surfaces at its ends, is secured to these brackets B by suitable bolts b. Side frame parts 2 aresecured to the frame l and extend downwardly past the Weighing-hopper and are the parts upon which the scale mechanism is mounted. These side pieces are generally connected by bolts or rivets o at their lower ends to a receiving mouth or hopper C, which receives the grain or other material when weighed and discharged from the weighing drum or hopper D, as will be presently described. The side frame-pieces 2 have arms 3, which serve both to support and to limit the movement of the scale-beams, being provided with the knife-edge projections 4 for the former purpose and With fingers 5 and 6 for the latter. Said side pieces 2 are also preferably provided with small bracket-like stops o1' projections 7 near the lower end, (see Figs. 6 and 4,) upon which the weigherhopper frame will rest when it has reached the limit of its descent.

The scale-arms 8 are mounted on the knifeedges 4 and bear the usual scale-weights 9 upon their outer ends, While their inner ends are connected, by means of the knife-edges 10, to the hangers ll, which immediately carry the tilting weighing-hoppers D. Said hangers 11 extend down just inside of and parallel with the parts 2 to near the lower ends thereof and are provided at their extreme tions 13, which extend out therefrom alongside said parts 2. One of these hangers 11 also has curved and projecting arms 14, upon which a tally or registering device T isrmounted, as will be presently more fully explained.

The weighing drum or hopper D is in itself very similar to the weighing-drum shown in Patent No. 609,908, above referred to, butis somewhat differently mounted and its movements are somewhat differently controlled. It is supported centrally on the hangers 11 by pivots 15, which may be and preferably are in the form of a single rod running through said weigher-hopper from side to side, as

shown in Fig. 4. As in the above-mentioned patent, said hopper or drum is separated into two .receptacles by a central partition d, and each receptacle has an ingress-openingv at the top and an egress-opening at the bottom. Covering the egress-openings are the swinging doors D', which in themselves are also similar to those shown in the patent above referred to. The means for closing these doors has, however, been much improved. In the performance of the class of work which these machines are principally designed to do there is much jostling of parts and considerable strain on the bearings, and this frequently requires some readjustment in order to maintain the proper relation of the parts and in the case of the doors to keep them tight when in closed position. The rollers 16, which support and close the doors, are in myimproved construction carried by arms 17, which have bearings in which the gudgeons g of said rollers run. Said arms are connected by pivots 18 to the cross-heads 12 on the scale-frames 11. Said arms 17 project in beyond the pivots 18, and each has a second connecting-bolt 19, which passes through diagonallypositioned slots both in the cross-head and in the arms, these slots being shown in full and dotted lines in Figs. 5 and 6. It is obvious that by moving these bolts 19 slightly the outer ends 0f the arms 17 will be swung up or down to such point as may be desired, while the slots themselves when these bolts are tightened up will prevent any movement of said bolts likely to disturb the adjustment iixed upon. By this means I am enabled to move the supporting-rollers 16 to exactly the position desired, and as each arm is adjustable independently each end of each roller may be separately adjusted, so as to cause an exact closing of the doors.

In the apparatus of my former patent, No.

i 609,908, as well as in other machines, the

scale-beams themselves have been limited in movement only by range of movement of the weighing-hoppers. The force of the moving scale-weights has thus been permitted to come upon the bearings, and the consequence has been that frequently the catches would be bounced out of place. In my present apparatus I have provided the fingers 5 and 6, which limit the movement of the scale-beam in both directions, being positioned only a little farther apart than is required to permit the necessary movement of the scalebeams in performing the weighing. These lingers 5` and 6 prevent such excessive movement of the scale-beams, and thus the disadvantages above referred to are obviated. One or both of said ,ngers may be made adjustable, if desired, although when properly constructed originally this'will not generally be necessary.

In the apparatus of my former patent, No. 609,908, also, the catches by which the weigher-hopper was held in place were upon the sides, at the extreme edges, and were duplicated, Yone set of catches being upon each side. In the performance of the rough work, as above stated, it frequently happens that the weighing-hopper becomes twisted slightly, with the result that such duplicate catches would be thrown out of line or registry to some extent and the catching rendered imperfect. In my present invention I have secured upon the periphery of the weighinghopper, alongside the ingress-openings therein, transverse bars 2O to form the latches, the central portions of which, forming the latches proper, are preferably raised somewhat, as shown, and at central points on the sides of the frame part 1 I have provided projecting catches 2l, adapted to engage with these latches. The catching-points are thus'brought to the center of the apparatus, so that a twisting strain will not throw them out of line or registry, while the number of catching or engaging points is reduced to one upon each side, and the difficulty above spoken of is thus obviated.

On many of the machines to which myautomatic weigher is attached, as in the example shown in Patent No. 623,109, above re ferred to, the structure to which the attachment is made is raised or lowered, according to the work to be done, and it is therefore necessary that there shall be an adjustable, although rigid, connection in order that the perpendicularity of the apparatus may be maintained in all its varyingpositions. This I have secured in the present instance by means of the brackets B and frame parts 1, with their large friction-surfaces connected by means of the bolts l). Vhen the head A, for example, is :raised or lowered, it is only necessary to loosen the nuts n on the bolts 1J, which will permit the weigher structure as a whole to come to its proper position, so that the sides 2 are perpendicular. Then by retightening said nuts n the weigher is secured rigidly in place, so as to prevent vibration, which, if permitted, would be detrimental to the accuracy of the machine. I am. thus enabled to secure the proper position of these parts at all times irrespective of the position of the structure to which the weigher is suspended.

As shown in Fig. 1, the ta'llyT is mounted on the wings 14. on the scale-hangers 11. The arm @of the tally is connected, by means of a IOO IIO

p on the side of the drum D.

link l, with a suitable projecting wrist or pivot It will be seen that by this arrangement the distance between the main pivot carrying the weigherhopper and the tally is always accurately maintained and that the movement of the tally is due solely to the rocking of the Weigher hopper or drum on its pivot. Exactness of movement of the tally-operating device is thus insured, and consequently certainty of operation of the tally itself.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with an automatic weigher and a structure to which it is suspended mounted to be adjusted as to its angle, of a suspending means comprising engaging friction-plates upon the two parts, and clamping-bolts passing through said frictionplates, whereby the perpendicularity and rigidity of the weigher may be maintained at whatever' angle the structure to which it is suspended may be adjusted, substantially as set forth.

2. rlhe combination, in an automatic weigher, of the'rectangular frame 1, the side frames 2 rigidly connected therewith and provided with arms 3, scale-beams 8 pivoted to said arms, scale-hangers 11 carried from said scale-beams and extending down parallel with the side frames 2 and provided with projections 13 by which parallelism of the parts 2 and 11 is maintained, and a pivoted weigherhopper mounted on said scale-han gers 11, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, in an automatic weigher, of a tilting weigher hopper or drum provided with a swinging gate or door to the outlet, scale-hangers 11 on which said hopper or drum is mounted having cross-heads 12 rigid therewith upon the lower end, adjustable arms 17 secured to said cross-heads, and cross-bars 16 carried by said arms for operating said doors, substantially as set forth.4

4. The combination, in an automatic weigher, of the weigher hopper or drum, doors or gates to the egress-openings thereof, the scale mechanism and frame therefor to which said hopper is pivoted, cross-bars mounted on arms pivoted to a portion of said frame for closing said doors or gates as the hopper or drum swings from side to side, said arms each having a pivot and an adjustable connecting-bolt the latter being mount-ed in diagonal slots, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination,in an automatic scale mechanism, of the oscillating hopper, the stationary framework provided with rigid bracket-like projections 7 adapted to serve as limiting-stops for said oscillating hopper, and the movable scale mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

l6. The combination, in an automatic scale, of the weigher hopper or drum, having transverse bars extending across the same and bounding the outer sides of the two ingressopenings thereto and having central engaging points to serve as latches, and a frame positioned above said weigher hopper or drum and provided with ears extending out horizontally having notches upon the under side and forming catches with which said latches are adapted to engage, substantially as shown and described.

7 The combination, with the weigher drum or hopper and the hangers of the scale mechanism by which it is carried, said hanger being provided with wings, of a tally secured to said wings, and a link connected to the lever of said tally with a projecting stationary pivot-wrist on the side of the weigher hopper or drum, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 25th day of April, A. D. 1899.

JAMES B. SCI'IUMAN.

Witnesses:

CHESTER BRADFORD,l JAMES A. WALSH. 

